The Washington critic., 1887-12-19
A WEEKS WANDERINGS.
The Pathetic Experience of a Utica
Lady in This City.
SHE LOSES HER CONSCIOUSNESS
She Ia Finally Rescued and Taken to the
Help and Hope Mission.

One of those strange cases of lapse of
memory or forgetfulness of identity that
are from time to time described in the
newspapers has Just come to light in
Washington, and the case Of Louisa
Jane Pughe is in some respects pccu-
liarly strange.
Mrs. Pughe came to this city about
the first Of the present month with the
family of the newly elected Representa-
tive from the Twenty-third District Of
New York, Hon. James S. Sherman OF
Utica, in the capacity of maid.
Mr.. Sherman took apartments for the
season nj the Portland, and though the
new maid, whom Mrs. Sherman had en-
gagged through an advertisement day
or two before coming to Washington, at
times acted rather strangely, not much
attention was paid to it at the time. The
clerk of the Portland also noticed her
strange actions. One day she entered
through the Fourteenth street door,
looked around in Il confused way, went
out and returned four times and finally
asked the way to Mr.. Sherman's rooms.
She seemed entirely unable to find her
way around at all.
On Saturday, the 10th inst, she told
Mrs. Sherman that she wanted to go
back home to Utica. No objection was
made. She said she had money enough,
but Mr.. Sherman gave her S5. She
asked that he send her trunk to the
depot. and left the Portland that after
noon and has not been there since. Her
trunk was sent to the Sixth street depot,
where it still remains.
a WEEK OF wANDERINGs.
From Saturday, the 10th, until last
Friday night, the 10th, her precise
whereabouts remains u mystery. On
Friday evening Officer Ellis of the First
Precinct saw her on C street, and his at
tention being attracted by her lady-like
appearance, he followed her. She en-.
tered a house kept by negro woman of
peculiarly unsavory reputation.
The officer followed Mrs. Pughe into
the house. When asked to explain her
presence in house of that character,
she said that she had no other place to
20. The officer, satisfied that she was
not only out of place in that part OF
town, but also out of her mind to some
extent, took her to the Help and Hope
Mission, on Fourteenth street, where
she has since been cared for.
MRS. PuGuE's STORY.
Mrs. Pughe tells straight story up tc
the night of Saturday, the 10th. She
says she went to the depot, but her trunl
had not come. Then she went out into the
street. and from time until taken to the
Mission her mind seems to be almost {
blank. She said she had been on tht
streets she whole time. One thing sh,
remembers is being around the lumber
yards, where she would sit on a pile o
lumber to rest until some one cam,
along, when she would get up and con
tinue her aimless walk.
On Friday she says she was so tiret
that she must get a place to rest. Sh'
went into saloon and asked permission
to sit down and rest herself, but ther'
was so much noise and disturbance il
the saloon that rest was out OF the qles
tion. She spoke to man in the crowt
and told him she had 50 and would Civ,
'dliifn enc of them If he would show he
place to sleep. She does not remem
her where this was, but the man tool
her to the disreputable house wher
she was found by the officers Frida.
night. Since being at the Mission sh
has been quiet and talked quito freel.
OF herself and her past.
The ladies in charge of the Mission
are quite favorably impressed with he
appearance, and think she had no ide
OF the character of the locality in whicl
she was found. Her clothing and un
derclothing are neat and of good quality
and she wore plush coat and quain
but neat hat. She is well educated anC
refined in her manner, one of tn,
better class Of Welsh women and talk
pleasantly with but slight Welsh &C
cent. She admitted to Mrs. Cunning
ham that she had been drinking, an,
was in the habit of indulging In stimu
lsnts.
Mrs. Pughe was born in Wales thirty
nine years ago. She Is married, and ha
two children. Her husband lives il
Cleveland, o., and left her on account o
her drinking propensities. For som
years she has made her home in Ney
York State, teaching school near Utic
for some time. She recently left the in
sane asylum at Utica, where she ha
been what is known rs "workin
patient" She was supposed to have re
covered her mental balance, and was dis
charged from the asylum. She procure
the situation in Mr.. Sherman's famil
through an advertisement for maid
day or two before coming to Wash
ington.
Mrs. Pugh will be kept at the Hell
and Hope Mission for the present.
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VALUABLE NfEsIENTo.